


on this cold december night

by Oso



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Niall the Christmas hero, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 06:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8834131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oso/pseuds/Oso
Summary: Harry's Christmas is ruined, until Niall saves it





	

**Author's Note:**

> just some short holiday fluff.   
> absolutely self-indulgent because i enjoy harry being being sad and dramatic. and also ugly sweaters.  
> title from michael buble's Cold December Night

Niall drove up his street, he was tired and still in scrubs and there was probably blood on them, he hadn’t really checked. He honestly couldn’t be bothered to change as he was eager to leave the clinic and go home, it was past six in the evening on Christmas Eve, for god’s sake. But the life of a vet tech in an emergency animal clinic knew no holiday, and the Smiths’ dog had decided to get out of his yard and run around the neighborhood for five whole minutes before he was hit by a car. Niall smiled, it was tiring but it definitely paid off when they told the Smiths’ little daughter her dog only had a broken leg and a few cuts and scrapes, and once a cast was on he could go home to spend Christmas with them.

As he finally reached his home, Niall noticed a figure sitting on the curb, and once he was actually parked in his driveway he realized it was his next door neighbor, Harry. He was sitting with his legs bent and pressed to his chest, hugging them tightly and resting his head on his knees. The curtain of long brown hair covering his face completely. Niall remembered he had said he was flying back home for the holidays, should have left last night if he had heard correctly. 

He exited his car and slowly made his way toward Harry, it was quite chilly outside by now and all Niall had over his scrubs was a hoodie. Harry looked to be dressed slightly more appropriately with some bright green sweater with red trim. As he got closer, Niall could hear the unmistakable sound of sniffling.

“Everything alright, Harry?” he asked. He received louder sniffling for an answer along with visible shoulders shaking, and if it hadn’t been clear before it was now. Harry was very much sobbing on the sidewalk. “Why’re you out here, Harry?” Niall tried again.

Harry lifted his head and wiped at his face with the sleeves of his sweater. “Christmas is ruined” he said before he went into another bout of crying. 

“Hey, hey” Niall sat next to him, managing to only wince a little as the feeling of cold cement hit his butt. “Christmas can’t be ruined, what are you saying”

It only took a full minute for Harry to get it together and explain to Niall how he had missed his original flight and then it had snowed so much overnight that the flights going out that morning had been cancelled. He had decided to just come back home, call his mother and apologize, and then cook himself dinner. “But then the oven caught fire and while I was trying to put that out, what I had on the stove burnt. And also I spilled wine on my new sweater” he sat back to show Niall a purple stain on the giant snowman that adorned the front of Harry’s tacky holiday sweater. “So now not only do I have to spend Christmas alone, but I also have nothing to eat” 

Niall would have laughed at how ridiculous everything sounded if Harry hadn’t looked so dejected and sad. “Well, lucky for you I’m here now” he said and stood up. “Come on now, my arse is frozen from sitting here five minutes I can’t imagine what yours feels like” he offered a hand that Harry didn’t hesitate to take. “My dad’s spending Christmas with his wife’s family and my brother with his wife’s family, so I figured I’d just stay here and have a boring quiet dinner by myself” Niall explained as he opened his front door. His house was warm and still smelled of the snickerdoodles he’d managed to bake earlier in the afternoon before being called to the clinic. “Gonna turn the oven on and let the ham finish cooking and I’ll go change out of these bloody scrubs and then you’ll see, Christmas isn’t ruined” he smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

A while later Harry heard him coming down the stairs. “I feel Christmas-y now” Niall announced as he stood in the living room wearing a bright red sweater with Santa’s face on the front. “And for you”, he said as he held out the ugliest sweater in the world, grey with red and green argyle print, and a red-nosed reindeer on the front surrounded by colorful baubles. Harry changed into it quickly, tossing aside his wine stained snowman. “Oh, can’t forget the best part” Niall walked over and poked a random bauble. The reindeer’s nose began blinking a red light. “It lights up” Niall grinned.

Harry looked from his garish sweater to Niall and then flung himself at his neighbor, wrapping his arm around Niall’s waist and burying his head on his shoulder. “Thank you” he mumbled and sniffled. 

“Hey now, don’t get your snot on my sweater” Niall said softly, before returning the hug. “Now, let’s eat because I’m starving”

They ate dinner, Niall recounting the story of the dog whose leg he’d helped fix earlier. Harry called him a hero for saving not only one, but two Christmases, and if Niall blushed it was because of the wine. They even managed to facetime Harry’s family, his mom quite happy that he hadn’t spent the night alone after all.

It was nearing midnight and they sat in the living room, Niall leaning on the couch’s arm, and Harry leaning on his arm. Far too close for neighbors that hadn’t exchanged more than a few conversations over the past year, but Niall also blamed that on the wine. They were on the second bottle now. 

“Hey, it’s midnight now” Harry said, sounding sleepy and drunk. 

“Yes it is” Niall’s own eyes were fighting to stay open.

Harry yawned. “Do you know what that means? It means it’s Christmas” he said and sat up a little straighter. “Merry Christmas, Niall” Harry leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Or tried to, at least. His lips landed on the corner of Niall’s mouth. “And good night” Harry let his head fall on Niall’s shoulder and promptly began snoring.

“Merry Christmas, Harry” Niall said, feeling a lot more sober than five minutes ago. He somehow managed to tuck Harry under his arm before closed his eyes and fell asleep. Whatever that weird fluttery feeling he had in his stomach was, he would deal with it in the morning.


End file.
